The use of doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs) in large wind turbines has become quite common over the last few years. These machines provide variable speed and are driven with a power converter which is sized for a small percentage of the turbine-rated power. A drawback of the DFIG is that it is very sensitive to grid disturbances, especially to voltage dips. However, the operation of the machine in these situations has only been studied in the literature by means of simulations. This paper develops a theoretical analysis of the dynamic behavior of the induction machine during three-phase voltage dips. The proposed analysis contributes to understanding the causes of the problem and represents a very useful tool to improve the existing solutions and propose new alternatives. Experimental results are in good agreement with those obtained theoretically and validate the proposed analysis.

Many large wind farms employ doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs). The main drawback of these machines is their large sensitivity to grid disturbances, especially to voltage dips. As the penetration of wind energy in the network increases, it becomes more relevant to understand the behavior of these machines under voltage dips. This paper analyzes the operation of the DFIG under asymmetrical voltage dips and explains why such kinds of dips are more harmful than are symmetrical dips. The influence of the dip type and instant of occurrence is also studied.

Along with the main trends and future challenges of electrical networks embedded in more-electrical aircraft, this article also focuses on optimization efforts in the field of industrial electronics and energy conversion. Optimization can be achieved by the means of expertise or from classical analysis methods, especially those based on simulations. However, novel approaches based on optimization algorithms, so-called integrated design by optimization, are becoming increasingly mature and will become particularly powerful if subsequent efforts are made in terms of modeling for design. In the first part, the current context and new standards of the more-electrical aircraft are summarized. The second part deals with the new trends and challenges of more electrical aircraft, with an emphasis on reversible and hybrid high-voltage dc networks including new storage devices. However, this discussion will mainly focus on systems optimization. Methodological orientations toward integrated optimal design are discussed with representative examples, such as for an environmental conditioning system (ECS).

A new strategy for direct torque control with imposed switching frequency (DiCoIF) is proposed. This strategy was specially designed to operate with a multicell (flying capacitors) inverter with any number of levels, which means it can also be used for standard two-level inverters. This approach combines the well known advantages of the multicell. inverter with those of a direct torque controlled (DTC) based strategy. It is shown that the multicell topology presents enough degrees of freedom to control both torque and flux with very low ripple and high dynamics on one hand, and to impose the switching frequency and the capacitors voltage balance on the other hand. Experimental and simulation results, obtained with a standard two-level inverter and with a four-level multicell inverter, are presented and discussed. Finally, a comparative analysis either with the classical DTC and field oriented techniques is carried out.

The power characteristics of wind turbines are nonlinear. It is particularly true for vertical-axis turbines whose provided power is very sensitive to the load. Thus, controlling the operating point is essential to optimize the energetic behavior. Several control strategies (maximum power point tracking) can be used for the energy conversion. If the wind-turbine characteristic C_p(lambda) is supposed to be a priori known, it can be used for optimal control of the torque, speed, or system output power. On the contrary, if this characteristic is unknown, an operational seeking algorithm such as fuzzy logic has to be implemented. Several structures with different associated complexity degrees can be used, in particular, the structure of the ac-dc conversion, which can be either a pulsewidth-modulation voltage-source rectifier or a simple diode bridge. A comparative study of the corresponding control strategies and architectures is proposed in this paper regarding the tradeoffs between structure complexity and energy efficiency. The analysis is based on simulations and experiments